by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group
Weeks before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US, including Silicon Valley on its west coast, the sharp cleavage among US academics of Indian origin has brought into focus the depth of conflict within the intellectual class about India's current political leadership. A letter signed by over 120 Indian-American academics and addressed to IT industry leaders in the Bay Area and elsewhere brims with hatred and fear-mongering against Modi. It condemns the "uncritical fanfare" being generated for his visit to Silicon Valley to campaign for his Digital India project, and gives dark hints about its allegedly sinister features. The dons grouch about Digital India's "lack of safeguards about privacy of information, and thus its potential for abuse." The letter's refrain is that the digital system will be used to "enhance surveillance". The letter does not end here. In fact it is a laundry list of charges against the Prime Minister that are common between the Congress and left parties. It exceeds norms of civility as it rakes up the past record of US visa being denied to Modi in the 2005-14 period and the "powerful reasons" underlying the denial.
